What is the U.S. Airforce like for an Enlisted Electrical Engineer? Pros vs Cons pay rate??? starting 2nd LT.?

Question

I already have college degree in Electrical engineering. so i will be second LT. when finish with basic training. also about how much will they pay per year??? $40k $50K?? also how is boot camp like? hard easy lot of studying? lot of traing????
thanks for your responses

Thank you everyone for your responses. one quick reply to the person that thinks i am in it for the money. I already make over $50,000 with my online business that i dont have to do any real work in. Thus working in the air force i mostly to use my passion for engineering to help my country out. I love technology and the good things it can do and my job will be to do my best to make sure that it can benefit the US government as well as the people of the USA.

Answer 1

A 2nd Lt. is not enlisted, they're appointed. 2nd Lt. makes a whole lot more that a newly enlisted person. You must 1st have a college degree to be an officer.
http://www.military.com/kwlp04?ESRC=ov_mem_milpay.kw
sorry...here it is..
I agree with A Guy...in the navy an enlisted person in electrical field is an electrician's mate, basically a plain old electrician with some digital electronics training. Officer's don't go to 'boot camp' like enlisted, their version is somewhat like college where you'll recieve a commission. Look at it this way..enlisted=blue collar worker, officer=white collar worker. Enlisted have all the dirty jobs...lol.

Answer 2

Also remember, Officers are not guaranteed their field, they are managers and leaders. You may end up in something other than engineering.

Nobody "enlists" as an Officer just because they have a degree. They must go through a process to be Commissioned and that has to go all the way to the Senate. Many people believe anyone with a degree automatically becomes an officer. Not true at all.

Also, the enlisted side is where you would use your experience and knowledge, performing those duties. There is no guarantee you would, as the Air Force has over 60% of it's force enlist under an open contract. Speak to recruiters from all branches before you decide. Make a fully informed decision.

Answer 3

First, do some research. As the previous respondent stated, 2nd Lieutenant is an officer and thus not enlisted. In the Air Force I believe that you will start as an E-3 if you have a college degree and enlist. Sure an A1C is better than starting as an AB, but it's nothing like starting as a 2LT. The Air Force is ALWAYS looking for engineers, especially electrical, so that is a good thing for you. However, you're not very likely to be an "Enlisted Engineer" as I doubt that exists. Talk to an AF officer accessions recruiter. S/He'll give you good information on your options as a college grad with a desired degree. If your GPA is about 3.5 or better you've got a good chance assuming you don't have a felonious criminal record or do terribly on the AF officer test (AFOQT). You'll most likely end up going to OTS at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. Seriously consider getting a commission before enlisting, especially if you 1. like money and 2. want to use your degree to the utmost.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the U.S. Airforce like for an Enlisted Electrical Engineer? Pros vs Cons pay rate??? starting 2nd LT.?

Answer 5

First off just keep in mind what the others said about the rank structure. There is a difference in officers and enlisted personnel. I have a few Friends that are engineers. There are many different types. The ones I know are comm, aero space, mech, and elect engineers. They all mainly manage projects. The air force contracts a lot of work so they are the liaison between the govt and the contractor. Depending on the location they may have a civilian boss. Espically at an air logistics center. I have three buddies that graduated from school with me over the years as aerospace and mech engineers. Those guys work in labs out west in the desert. They manage projects, but they also get to go out and test things. Starting salary for a 2LT is a little more than $30K, well that's what it was several years ago. To find out exactly what it is now go to www.military.com and look for a military pay chart.

Answer 6

Pay for a 90 day wonder 2nd Lt. is $2416.20 a month. Now that doesn't include your BOQ, Rations or any other allowances that are also benefits of an officer. Number one, you will not be an Enlisted man, and as Elecrical Engineer College Grad you have the pre-training out of the way and will no doubt be assigned to management duties. I or none of these others who have answered your questions to what you are looking for totally and acouple are straight forward in giving you some of ideas as what to look forward to. I suggest that you contact a local Recruiter and ask for the telephone number (which should be a 1-800 number) of someone well trained to give you a total breakdown of what questions you may have. Your better off getting it straight from the horses mouth per-say as to get a jumbled bunch of in correct answers here. I personally commend you for your choice of the Air Force as I am a retired Air Force vet and have been retired over 33 years. I respect all branchs of the service but like other I lean towards the one I served in. Any one is an excellent choice and has my respect for that choice. It's an excellent career but with one comment.... don't believe any promises that come from our elected officials in Congress, get everything in writing (contract) and save it or you'll end up in the same predicument that those of us who believed their promises and are suffering because they lied to us. Good luck on your choice.

Answer 7

This will sound like a joke, but it's not. If you want to know about Air Force enlisted life, pick up a copy of Hunter S. Thompson's The Proud Highway. The book covers far more, too, but the part about Hunter's AF time is classic!

Answer 8

see http://www.dod.mil/dfas/militarypay/newinformation/WebPayTableVersion2006updated.pdf

for the military pay charts..

2nd LT.. may not earn so much.. about $2400 a month, but as an officer your pay will increase much faster than it would as an enlisted... because at the two year mark.. you would make $2500 a month... but as you gain in rank.. the pay grows even faster

lets say you get 3 promotions over 6 years.. then your pay would be nearly $5000 a month... the top enlisted person in the military.. doesn't get that kind of money until 22 years!!!... and they NEVER get much more than that!!

Answer 9

ok first thing Lt are not enlisted they're commissioned and u wont be at war, you'll be in the hanger and other place working just lik normal work with a computer and own office

Answer 10

The military isnt just about an education, or how much money you make......... Its about serving & protecting our Country..... You already got it wrong, so do us all a favor and dont give it another thought!!